Cristiano Ronaldo netted a brace as Al-Nassr beat Al-Khaleej 3-1 to reach the final of the King Cup of Champions on Wednesday.
Nassr and Khaleej met in the semi-final of the King Cup of Champions on Wednesday and, once again, Ronaldo was central to his side’s success, scoring twice to end a mini goal-drought of two games.
Khaleej had a fine chance to open the scoring but a free header was sent over the crossbar, after Ronaldo saw two efforts saved in the opening 10 minutes.
The 39-year-old did open the scoring after a quarter of an hour, capitalising on an absolutely terrible piece of goalkeeping. An attempted clearance was blocked, and the ex-Real Madrid superstar was able to spin and loop a half-volley into the bottom corner.
And a second came through Sadio Mane, as he converted a penalty after a handball in the area; Ronaldo refused to take the kick, allowing the former Liverpool star to step up and find the top corner.
The Portugal international added a third just before the hour mark, tapping in at the back post after his initial shot was saved.
Fawaz Al-Torais pulled a goal back late on, as he finished a fine cross, but it was nothing more than a consolation, meaning Nassr have punched their ticket to the final against Al-Hilal.
It has to be Ronaldo. The Portugal superstar was exceptional, scoring a fantastic effort on the spin, as well as a tap-in, and Khaleej simply could not deal with his presence up front. That he also sacrificed a hat-trick by handing Mane the responsibility to score from the penalty spot ensures his spot as the MVP.
Ibrahim Sehic in the Khaleej goal made a dreadful error to hand Ronaldo his opener. Attempting to clear the ball, he was charged down, and his clearance did not even leave the penalty area. In a semi-final, one simply cannot make an error like that, and he was naturally punished.
Nassr will be back in action this weekend against Al-Wehda, although their title hopes are all but over. They sit nine points behind unbeaten leaders Al-Hilal, although the two teams will play each other before the end of the season, once in the league and again in the final of the King Cup of Champions.
